He's Still Running
by PandasCanWrite
Summary: After Wally's death, Dick hasn't been the same. He has become a recluse, trying to bring his pal Wally West back. To him, Wally is alive. He's just running in the Speed Force. But, to Artemis, Wally is dead, and she has made it her job to bring the old Dick back. But by doing this, she may find herself running into an empty void of darkness, without Wally there to save her.


**He's Still Running**

**Chapter 1**

"There's a way to bring him back! I know it!" Dick cried, turning away from Artemis.

"Just face it, Dick," she replied in a tight voice, "he's gone. Wally's—"

He cut her off, "Don't say it."

"Dick…"

"Don't you dare!" He swung back around on his chair. His voice was threateningly low, but it was cracking. She noticed his eyes were glassy and red. He almost looked as bad as she had the first night without Wally.

It had been 3 months after Wally disappeared, and although Artemis was still distraught, she was in a hell of a lot better state than Dick.

The poor guy still thought Wally was just stuck in the Speed Force, and he was extremely focused on finding a way to bring Wally back.

"He's stuck in the Speed Force," Dick had argued that night when he told the Team his hypothesis, "he's still running!"

To which Artemis had replied, "Dick, Wally stopped running long ago."

And that had been where Dick had looked her deeply in the eye, and responded, "No, Artemis. Wally will always be running." The team only saw Dick so much after that night.

"He's dead." Artemis's voice caught, but she refused to cry. If she cried, then the whole purpose of coming to Dick would be destroyed. "So you need to face the facts. Wally is dead, not still running in the Speed Force. Come out of your room. Stop trying to bring him back. Please, Dick. The Team needs you."

"And I need Wally! He was—is—my best pal!" Dick pointed a finger at her accusingly, eyes narrowing. "What about you, huh, Artemis? You loved him, right? Why have you moved on so quickly? Why aren't you helping me?"

"Because I know it's no use!" she exclaimed. "We both know it wasn't his speed that killed him. The Reach Technology used him as an exit for its energy. That's what killed him. He wasn't going too fast."

"How do you know that for sure?"

This hit Artemis right in the heart. She _didn't _know. She didn't know if Wally was dead, or if he was actually in the Speed Force. Artemis just chose to think Wally was dead because it was easier for her. Don't get her wrong; she missed him terribly. It's just that she wouldn't have to spend her entire life trying to bring him back if she chose to believe Wally was dead. She knew that Wally would approve of her decisions.

Dick, however, had chosen the other choice, and this was what it did to him. He had become a recluse, his hair was messy and long, his face was unshaven, and his room was a mess. Artemis was sure that if she had chosen what Dick had, she would be in the same state as him: miserable.

Wally wouldn't want that.

And that was why she had to bring the old Dick back, one at a time.

"Dick, let's go outside. Let's get some dinner, and talk about Wally. You need the air anyway," she urged.

"Why? So you can convince me to let him go, like you did?" he snarled, and turned his back to her, returning to his computer. "I'm not going to give him up. Go away, Artemis."

"But—"

"Go. Away," Dick uttered.

"You know he wouldn't want this," she told him. "Wally wouldn't want you to be hung up on his death like this."

"That only applies if he's dead," he replied. "Which he isn't."

"Stop with that already!" Artemis was just talking to Dick's back now. "What proof do you have that he's alive?"

"What proof do you have that he's dead?" he shot back.

This rendered her speechless.

"That's right, you have no proof. You're running on nothing but beliefs. Maybe I am too, but maybe my beliefs can bring him back."

"Dick," she started.

"Good night, Artemis."

She sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder. The muscles under his shirt stiffened at her touch, but he didn't push her hand away.

"Fine, I'll leave."

"Good."

"But I have one thing to tell you." Dick didn't turn to face her, but by his silence, she knew he was listening. "You said that I loved Wally. You're wrong."

Artemis paused for a moment, but not just to build up the suspense. She wasn't sure if she could get out the next words without crying. A single rebel tear rolled down her cheek, and that was it. It was fortunate that he had his back to her, so he wouldn't catch the tear, as small and minimal as it was.

"I still love him, Dick."

* * *

"How'd it go?" Barbara Gordon asked Artemis the moment Artemis was transferred into the Watchtower.

Artemis shook her head. "Not good. He's still looking for a way to bring Wally back."

"Let me guess; you're going back tomorrow."

Artemis gave as sly smile. "Yeah."

"Are you okay with this?" Barbara asked, concerned. "It must be hard on you, being that…" Her words faded away, probably because she was afraid she would upset Artemis.

Truthfully, Artemis was grateful Barbara didn't continue. She didn't want to think about what she used to have with Wally, since it would just send a tsunami wave of memories crashing and destroying her entirety.

"I'm fine. Besides, I'm the only one who can do this. I'm the only one who shares Dick's pain." She was the only one close to Dick who was also close to Wally.

Barbara nodded slowly, seemingly dejected.

Artemis added, "I'm sure Nightwing needs his Batgirl too."

Barbara's lips curved up slightly in a smile. "I'd hope so."

"OH, THAT WAS _SO_ CRASH!" The familiar voice echoed throughout the Watchtower.

A millisecond later, an ever-so energetic Bart Allen came running in, bearing the painfully familiar yellow and red suit. Jaime Reyes followed him, bearing a grin.

"Ohhhh! Hey, Art! Hey, Barbs! Guess what! Guess what! Are you guessing? Yes? No? Maybe so? Oh, I'll just tell you!" Bart ran his mouth excitedly.

Artemis raised a brow. "What is it?"

"SoJaimerandIwereoutplayingwiththis…" Artemis could catch only the first few words before Bart began rambling on at an impossibly fast pace.

Barbara said, "Well, as long as you guys didn't hurt anyone."

"We didn't hurt anyone but ourselves," Jaime groaned, rubbing his neck. "Mostly me. You get pretty _loco_ when you play. And when you get crazy, you play dirty."

"Hey, but you had fun, right?" Bart replied at a slightly slower pace. Jaime shrugged, which Artemis perceived to be a "yes".

"By the way, man, I totally won," Bart said.

"No way! You totally cheated! You're disqualified!" Jaime protested.

"Rematch?"

"I'd rather not break anything."

"So I guess I win!"

Jaime rolled his eyes, but it was easy to tell that he was trying hard not to laugh.

"So, uh, Artemis…" Jaime started slowly.

"What's up?"

"How'd it go with Dick?"  
Immediately, the fun mood turned solemn. Even Bart, who had begun to stuff his face with some sort of food, stopped messing around.

"Bad," Artemis admitted. "But he'll come around sooner or later. I mean, come on! He's Dick! He's bound to get 'traught' one day."

Both Barbara and Artemis shared a smile at the mention of Dick's old made-up word.

"Yeah, he just needs to get 'whelmed'," Barbara said.

As the two girls smiled at each other, Bart and Jaime shared a glance.

"Um, dude, are we supposed to understand what they're saying?" Bart asked Jaime, confused.

"Nah, man."

"Girls, huh?"

"Girls," Jaime said in agreement.

Although Artemis could hear them perfectly, she chose to ignore them. Instead, she inquired, "Where are Tim and Cassie?"

"Out on a date," Barbara replied, with a small smirk.

"Go Tim!" Bart hooted.

"It was Cassie who asked him to go out," Barbara informed them.

"Wasn't it also Cassie who kissed him for the first time?" Bart questioned.

"That's right."

"Time needs to step up," Bart muttered.

"Maybe you could help him get the guts," Jaime suggested. "It'd definitely be safer than what we did today…hopefully."

"That'd be _so_ crash!"

"And where are Kaldur, Virgil, Connor, and Megan?" Artemis asked.

"Out on a small mission," Barbara answered.

"So there's nothing to do here?" Artemis said.

"Nothing of importance," Barbara replied.

"Then I'm heading out for the night," she said. "Night, everyone."

"Good night!" everyone responded.

* * *

"I'm home," Artemis called as she entered the house she once shared with Wally. Their dog, Dash, trotted up to her, sat down, and wagged his tail.

Artemis wondered if Dash was mourning over Wally. Dash still sniffed her when she came home, and she pondered if that was his way of asking where Wally was. After Wally's death, it was obvious that Dash noticed Wally's absence (Artemis had caught Dash sitting in front of the door, as if expecting someone, several times), but did Dash realize that Wally was gone?

Artemis bent down and stroked her dog's back, "Hey, boy. I'm back. Did you miss me?" _Do you miss him_?

"Rrrruff!" Dash barked, and set off sniffing Artemis curiously.

"What's that, boy? Do you smell someone? You smell Dick, don't you?" She bent at her knees to look Dash in the eye. "You haven't smelled this in a while, huh? I went over to his place today for the first time in a long time. The visit wasn't very successful, though."

Dash tilted his head to the side, like he was asking, "Why?"

"Come here, boy." Artemis stood and walked to the sofa. She sat down, and patted the seat next to her, motioning Dash to join her. He jumped onto the soda, setting his head on her lap.

"I went over to try to get Dick out of his room. Why? Because he's been locked in his room, trying to find a way to bring Wally back." Artemis gave Dash a sad look.

"Wally is gone. Did you know that?" Dash looked up at her with a puzzled look on his face. "So you can stop waiting for him at the door. You can stop sniffing me for him whenever I come home…you…can…stop."

A drop of water fell onto her hand. She was crying, and she let herself cry. It didn't matter; no one was around to see it.

She always cried alone, aside from the time she found out Wally died. She didn't cry at his funeral, but she did after it, when she was alone. Artemis guessed it was likewise for her to cry alone, because she _was_ alone. It didn't matter that she had Dash, or Megan, or Connor, or Barbara, or _anyone_. Wally was gone, and she was alone.

"You get it, Dash?" she whispered into his ear. "You can stop looking for Wally. You know why? It's because he's gone. Wally's dead. He's not coming back. He never will. _Never_."

Dash seemed to sense her grief, because he whimpered softly.

Artemis might seem strong outside, but inside, she was made of fragile glass. It's like what they say: the strongest appear weak, and the weakest appear strong.

She had tried everything to try to cope with Wally's death. Becoming Tigress was one of them. She had thought that if Artemis left with Wally, leaving Tigress to live, life would be easier. But it wasn't. Because Tigress was left to live alone.

As waterfalls cascaded down her cheeks, Artemis hugged Dash tightly. "He's gone, Dash, He's gone."

She knew, tomorrow she would go to Dick's place again with hopes of bringing him out of his room. Her eyes would be dry. She would think that she was fine, but come home, see Dash, and cry.

She knew, because it happened all the time.

Artemis laid her head on Dash's head. Her tears wet his fur as she wept softly. She murmured in such a small voice, no one could hear it, not even in complete silence.

"I miss him."

**Heeeyyyy! This is my first fanfiction ever! I haven't gotten over Young Justice yet because of what it left me with (They killed off Wally! My favorite character! WDF?). Some things might now match up to the Young Justice television series, and that's because I might have misinterpreted or missed something while watching the show. **

**This is just something I did for fun because I was bored. It might turn into something serious, if I get enough reviews or something.**

**I am completely new to this, so please bear with any mistakes I make.**

**Until next time! Keep running, folks!**


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